Improvement in knob-latches



llniiran Sra'rns litaprieiair ittica.

JOHBT H. BARNES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

lMPROVl'lh/lENT IN lNOB-LAl-CilES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ibid l ll),dated November 2.12, 1864.

and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', and of its mode and manner of operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon, i

and making a part of this specification.

lll y invention or improvement relates to that class ot door or knob locks, and strikers for the same, known as Janusiaced locks77 or right and left hand locks, and which can be beveled or inclined in vertical planes, substantially as hereinafter described, and com bining such a latch with a striker or keeper 1 or nosing lia-ving both the ends or corners of its lip against which the latch head or nose strikes beveled toward the ends of such striker, so that, whether such striker be i'iXed Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several gures.

A represents the case of the lock, which may be rectangular, as shown in the drawings, or of any other form desired. Both sides ot' such case are made the same and finished equally well, so that whichever side is placed outward the lock presents a neat and finished appearance.

B isthe latchbolt, arranged within the case A, and operating backward `and forward in the same manner that latch-bolts usually do, being held forward by the spring a., which is one of the several kinds in general use, and pressed or iorced backward by the arms b b ot' the hub O acting against the projections c o when the knob is turned, or as the beveled end or head ot' the latch is pressed against the striker on the door-frame.

D is the projection or head of the latch. rlhe only diierence in construction between this latch-head and those in ordinary locks is in its beveled or inclined end, and also beveled sides. The beveled end of the latch'head is shown in Fig. l, and the beveled sides of to a right or left hand door-casing, the latchhead, by reason of its inclined surfaces and the bevelings oi' the lip of `the striker, will, upon closing the door, pass over and behind the lip ofthe striker, such striker also having on the inner side and at each end of its lip an.

inclined surface corresponding with the side inclined surfaces ofthe latch-head, against` which the latch-head bears or rests after passing over and behind the lip of the striker.

'lo enable those skilled in the art to make -suri'aces on the inner side of its lip, t0 correspond with the side bevels or inclines ot' the latch head, and showing also the beveled corners or ends of the outside of the lip.

the same are shown in Fig. 2. Theend of the latch-head is reduced or cut on an angle from its top and extreme end to a point on the bottom nearly or quite as far back as the end ot the lock from which it projects. The two sides of the latch-head are reduced or cut on angles starting nearly or quite at the bottom, and nearly meeting at the top in a blunt edge. The parts of the latch-head where the edges ofthe end bevel meet the edges of the side bevels, as shown at d,Fig. 2, and which come in contact with the lip of the striker when closing the door, are slightly rounded, or the end bevel alone can be so rounded as to make a proper surface to come in contact with the striker. rlhe opening in the end of the lockcase, where the latchhead works, and also that part ot' the latch-head which does not project beyond the lock-case, as represented in the drawings, are square; but vboth can be made to correspond with the side bevels of the latch-head.

E is the striker, which receives the tribev-` parts of itslip h where the latch-head D strikes when closing,` the door, are beveled, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3; and it also has inclined surfaces ou the inner side of the lip h at each end of the striker, as shown at k k, Fig. 3. rlhe bevels g g ot' the lip l1, incline in a down- Ward and backward direction toward the ends of the striker, thus causing the latch-head D, when pressed against the lip h, to recede the more easily Within the lock-case and pass over and behind the lip of the striker. The inclined surfaces lo 7c on the inner side of the lip h correspond with the side bevels of the latch-head D, so that as the latch-head passes over and behind the lip it shall rest or bear one or the other of its entire side surfaces against one or the other of such inclined surfaces, and the door thus be held more rmly and securely. The inner inclinations, 7c k, do not extend far enough from the ends of the stiiker to prevent theordinary square bolt passing behind the lip h and bearing against the flat surface of the striker.

Upon closing the door one ot' the rounded edges or inclines of the latch-head D, caused by the junction of the end bevel with the side bevels, will press against one of the beveled ends g g of the striker E, and the parts acting upon a shear motion, the latch-head will pass over and behind vthe lip h and rest or bear its side bevel evenly7 and securely against one of the inner inclinations, /c 7c, of the lip of the striker.

The lip of the striker E having,` a twofold bevel, g, at eachv end', and also an inner inclined surface, k, at each end, the striker can e secured either end up, and consequently can be applied to a right or left hand doorcasing. The latch-head D having an inclined or beveled surface on either side, the lock can be applied in the same manner as any Janusfaced lock on a right or left hand door. The reversingthe lock and strikerin nowise affects the action of the lock.

Although I have described my improvements as applied to a rim-lock, the same latchhead can be applied to a mortise-lock with a striker possessing bevels and inner inclined bearings corresponding with those of the striker 5 and, furthermore, my latch -head would work equally as Well if arranged upsidedoWn in the lock-case, providing` the bevels and inner inclined bearings of the striker be reversed to correspond.

My lock is simple in construction, is coniposed of fe-W parts, is easily taken apart and put together, is not liable to derangement, and is quite cheap in construction.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The construction of the latch-head D, having three beveled surfaces, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The beveling ot the outside ends, g g, of the keeper or striker E, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The arrangement of the inner inclines, k k, of the keeper or striker E, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4t. The combination of the beveled latchhead D and keeper or striker E, for the purposes set forth.

JOHN H. BARNES.

Witnesses: l

S. D. LAW, W. It. RoNALDs. 

